News Update

November 2, 2016

Talon Internship Applications Due Dec. 1

A new internship opportunity through the Angus Foundation and the Angus/Talon Youth Education Learning Program will pair a motivated youth with the Maher Angus Ranch in South Dakota to give a valuable hands-on educational experience for an eight- to 10-week term during summer 2017.

Applications are available online and due back to the education and events department Dec. 1. College sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent college graduates who do not exceed the age of 25 on date of application and who are majoring in an agriculture-related field of study will be eligible to apply for this internship position.

Applications from a Talon Scholarship recipient, past or present, or a National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) or Association member in good standing will be given first preference for this internship.

— Adapted from a release by Jena McRell, Angus Media.

WOTUS Legal Battle

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC), along with other industry and municipal stakeholders, filed the opening brief Nov. 1 in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals calling for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps’ “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule to be invalidated.

Tracy Brunner, NCBA president and Kansas cattle producer said subjectivity and egregious overreach by the agencies is of grave concern for landowners nationwide.

“Cattlemen and women have long asked for clarity in the Clean Water Act, yet this rule adds subjectivity,” said Brunner. “By violating fundamental tenets of administrative law and expanding jurisdiction well beyond the text and structure of the Clean Water Act, it is very clear the WOTUS rulemaking was flawed from [the] start.”

For more information, view the NCBA news release online

— Adapted from a release by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Humane Society of U.S. Lays Off 55 Employees

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) revealed that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has laid off 55 staffers — about 10% of its staff — in the midst of a financial shortfall that is believed to be at least $20 million. CCF learned about the retrenchment from an anonymous source.

Several of these layoffs come following the announcement by Michael Markarian (Chief Operating Officer of HSUS) that the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Mass., will be shut down on Nov. 18, due to “balancing economics with strategy.” The facility costs $750,000 dollars a year and represents a vital source of animal care in the area.

The layoffs come despite HSUS putting $150 million into offshore funds based in the Caribbean and Bermuda and paying a $450,000 compensation package for its CEO, Wayne Pacelle, as well as six-figure packages for 42 staffers in 2015.

Read more in the news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the Center for Consumer Freedom.

NCBA CLUSA Welcomes Executive VP

The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is pleased to announce the addition of Doug O’Brien as NCBA CLUSA’s executive vice president for programs, effective Nov. 1, 2016.

With a long career focused on empowering people and communities in rural places, O’Brien comes to NCBA CLUSA after serving as senior advisor for rural affairs on the White House Domestic Policy Council. In his role at the White House, O’Brien led the day-to-day work of the White House Rural Council, which is chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and composed of cabinet members from across the federal government.

The council focused on breaking down silos to make the government have a more positive impact in rural places and has focused on topics such as job creation, rural manufacturing and child poverty.

For more information, view the National Cooperative Business Association news release online.

— Adapted from a release by National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International.

55th Blackland Income Growth Conference

Agricultural Sustainability in a Challenging Marketplace will be the keynote luncheon theme during the 55th Blackland Income Growth (BIG) Conference Dec. 13 at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. in Waco. The conference is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.

Julie Borlaug, associate director of external relations at the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University in College Station, will be the keynote luncheon speaker.

“The BIG Conference features a number of commodity sessions including beef, horse, horticulture, cotton grain, rural land management, forage and wildlife designed to help producers improve profitability and enhance stewardship practices,” said Robin Liebe, conference chair and McLennan County agriculture producer.

For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.

— Adapted from a release by Blair Fannin, Texas AgriLife Communications.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Media.

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